Here are 5 ways to make millennials team players

As much as a company needs to hear millennials willingly, it is also important that companies support and train millennials to be open to feedback.

Many leaders find millennials lacking genuine commitment to their work and job. But there are ways to instill commitment among millennials, who form the bulk of the workforce in many organisations, regarding their own work, the team's work, the team and the organisation at large. Varuni Khosla finds out how:

Develop positive relationships Millennials should spend more time and effort in developing positive working relationships with colleagues. This will help them work collaboratively, says Swapnil Kamat of Work Better Training.

Make them open to feedback As much as a company needs to hear millennials willingly, it is also important that companies support and train millennials to be open to feedback, which will translate into learning and growth. This will help create a sense of belonging and purpose among them towards their team, says Mohit Gundecha of Jombay, a talent assessment and development firm.

Problem solving A complaint that Kamat said he often hears is that millennials do not work towards finding a solution. Rather, they expect others to solve their problems for them. "Millennials must work towards becoming problem-solvers. Instead of passing the buck or trying to avoid facing problems head on, they should learn to get it out in the open for discussion and then collaborate with others to find solutions and form action plans," he adds.

Encourage innovative thinking Companies must encourage millennials to ideate at every level, according to experts. "Since they take higher risks and are rebellious, creative and fearless, they aren't too accepting of hierarchical models. They do, however, have the ability to combine their somewhat unstructured knowledge with their freedom of speech. This can be a great recipe to create high-performing teams," says Suresh Raina, managing partner at Hunt Partners.

Make them more flexible Millennials would do well if they were more flexible. They must learn to consider different points of views and compromise, if and when needed, especially when the team needs to work together to get something done. While it is good to have your opinion and be firm in your thoughts, it is equally important to be open to what your team members have to offer, says Kamat.